Introductory Psychology Topics and Student Performance: Where's the Challenge?

Andrew C. Peck; Rahan S. Ali; Max E. Levine; Robert L. Matchock

doi:10.1207/s15328023top3303_2

Introductory Psychology Topics and Student Performance: Where's the Challenge?

Andrew C. Peck, Rahan S. Ali, Max E. Levine, Robert L. Matchock

Division of Education, Human Development & Social Sciences (Altoona)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Conventional wisdom is that some topics in introductory psychology are more difficult for students than others. Such wisdom seems reasonable given mismatches between students' and instructors' expectations and variations in both instructor expertise and student motivation across topical areas. Five instructors pooled students' exam performance data to investigate topical difficulty. Data showed that students performed better on questions about social psychology, memory, consciousness, and development than questions about biopsychology and emotion. Discussion includes possible explanations and considerations for course planning.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	167-170
Number of pages	4
Journal	Teaching of Psychology
Volume	33
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328023top3303_2
State	Published - Jul 2006

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Education
General Psychology

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Introductory Psychology Topics and Student Performance: Where's the Challenge?

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

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